Around South Florida with Elgin Jones 10-17-13

SOUP TIME! The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has officially opened grey squirrel hunting season. This is for squirrel hunting on private lands only. Those wishing to hunt on public lands must contact the commission. Looks as if I will be preparing some of my award-winning squirrel noodle soup!

CHURCH PROBLEMS Property owned by the HOPE Outreach Love Center church, 5801 N.W. 19th St., Lauderhill, is facing foreclosure. Pastor Frank A. Lloyd II is dealing with the issue, which is the latest in a rash of financial problems for South Florida black churches. Banks, many of which received federal bailouts, are not working with black churches to help them keep their properties in these difficult times. This is shameful and something must be done.

Palm Beach County

TRAFFIC MISTAKE Gernardra Louis Stephens, 24, of West Palm Beach was pulled over by chance after a minor traffic violation in Boca Raton. The stop resulted in her arrest on burglary and multiple charges. Police said Stephens was caught with items stolen during home burglaries. She was also wanted in connection with stolen items that were sold to local pawn shops.

FAU OFFICIAL BOOKED A Florida Atlantic University logistics coordinator is in hot water. Bradley Bernasek has been arrested and charged after allegedly lying to police and filing false insurance information with state agencies. The specifics have yet to be released but it’s interesting that it’s being kept so quiet.

VICTIM DIES A passenger who was shot last week while sitting in a parked truck has died. Ryan Lazier, 23, was shot around midnight in the 400 block of Northwest 12th Avenue in Boynton Beach. The driver flagged down police but details of how the shooting occurred have not been released. The investigation is continuing and police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 800-458-8477.

BOCA BOWL Florida Atlantic University has been selected as the site for a Conference USA bowl game. The Boca Raton Bowl will be held annually at FAU’s on-campus stadium, which holds 30,000 fans. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. Former coach Howard Schnellenberger, who started FAU’s football program, deserves credit for seeing this realized.

Broward County

KILLER EXECUTED William Frederick Happ was executed for the 1986 rape and murder of then 24-year-old college student Angela Crowley. The crime occurred in Yankeetown on Florida’s Gulf Coast but Crowley was a Lauderdale Lakes resident.

10-DAY SUSPENSION Hallandale Beach Police Chief Dwayne Flournoy handed down a 10-day suspension without pay to Officer Josue Hernandez for making a mockery of the department’s record-keeping process. Hernandez, 28, filled out more than a dozen community contact cards for meetings that never took place, the report said. He was accused of fabricating contacting people on the cards by listing the names of famous people and historic figures, many of whom are dead.

SUSPECTS CAPTURED Christopher Diaz, 20, and Michael Campblin, 19, along with two juveniles, were charged with breaking into the Southwest Ranches home of former Miami Dolphins player James McKnight. Sheriff’s deputies responded to an alarm at the home but found it secure. About an hour later, a vehicle matching the description of one described in connection with a previous burglary in the area, was spotted and pulled over. The suspects confessed to the burglaries, police said.

Miami-Dade County

BIG FASHION WEEK Linda Scott, founder & CEO of LS 1426, an agency specializing in plus-size models, is hosting the annual 1426 Fashion Week Nov. 7-10. It is four days of fashion and beauty-related events, including a poolside meet-and-greet and beauty seminar, culminating in a fashion show on Sunday, Nov. 10. It will take place at the Marriot Miami on Biscayne Bay, 1633 N. Bay Shore Dr., Miami. Event times vary. For more information, call 954-257-6545.

BATEMAN REJECTED Former Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman suffered a crushing defeat in a primary election and the city’s new mayor will be either former Councilman Jeff Porter or businessman Mark Bell, husband of former Mayor Lynda Bell and current Miami-Dade County commissioner. Councilman Elvis Maldonado easily defeated two challengers, including former Councilwoman Nazy Sierra. Councilman Jimmie L. Williams III will face former Councilman Norman L. Hodge Jr. on Nov. 5. Monroe County

SUNSHINE INVESTIGATION Monroe County State Attorney Catherine Vogel is investigating whether Florida’s open government in the Sunshine laws may have been violated at a recent meeting of the Key Largo-based group Fair Share, which was created to bring more of the county’s revenue and service to Key Largo. The group consists of several appointed and/or elected officials from Key Largo Wastewater Treatment. A complaint alleges they discussed official business of the district at a Fair Share meeting last month.

SHUTDOWN PAIN More than 150 demonstrators participated in a protest in the waters off Islamorada over the Republican-engineered federal government shut down, which is costing fishing guides tens of thousands of dollars in business. The National Wildlife Refuges are closed, which is wreaking havoc on families and the economy in the Keys. Republican conservatives such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and the spineless House Speaker John Boehner are to blame. Boehner has lost control of the House and he needs to be removed for lack of leadership and commonsense.

RON LEVY PASSES Ron Levy, the civic activist, visionary and business leader whose efforts put Islamorada on the map, has died of brain cancer. He was 66. Levy led the effort to get Islamorada incorporated and was later elected to its village council as mayor and later, councilman. He was a giant among men.